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Thomas Tuchel - The Most Successful Takeover Manager Ever?

For Chelsea, the start of their 2020/2021 Premier League campaign was much like the British governments handling of Covid-19 - lot's of money spent, full of controversy, and an overall s**t show. However, after the dismissal of Frank Lampard and the hiring of Thomas Tuchel in January, Chelsea has gone from mid-table wannabes to Champions League contenders, all in the space of 13 games. So, with a place in the Champions League final on the table and a top-four league spot all but guaranteed, is Tuchel's takeover of Chelsea the most successful in recent history? 

Your first guess would probably be "No", as minds dart straight to the successes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in his takeover of Manchester United in late 2019. Here, he set a new standard for caretaker managers and collected more points from his first ten games than any other manager in Premier League history (26). This included wins against 'Big Six' rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City and pushed the team to a Europa League qualifying spot. His success did not stop here either, as after falling 2-0 down to Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League (Round of 16), he rallied his side back to a dramatic 3-1 victory in the 2nd leg, winning on away goals. So, as far as new jobs are concerned, Ole certainly earned his rep pretty quickly. 

Similarly, Hans Dieter Flick took over European giants Bayern Munich and raised the bar again with his performances as a manager. From his appointment in November 2019, Flick went on to win four major trophies during the 2019/2020 season including the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, Champions League, and Super Cup - the first quadruple since Barcelona in 2015. But then again, Bayern's roster of players were so dominant during 2020, playing with no manager would have been just as effective. 

I know, when you compare Tuchel's current accomplishments with that of Ole and Flick, he doesn't even begin to compare. However, Chelsea has a serious opportunity to get back to their once great form with Tuchel at the helm. In his first 10 Premier League games, the German has gone undefeated and has collected 22 points in the Premier League, pushing Chelsea from 9th to 4th in the table. He also lifted the club over current La Liga leaders, Athletico Madrid, and did not concede over 2 legs, winning 1-0 in Spain before coming back to win 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. 

With Porto next, Chelsea will be the favourites to appear in one of the four semi-final spots and represents a huge opportunity to return Chelsea to their winning ways. With a 1-0 win over Barnsley, Chelsea has also advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals, so a potential double is on the cards. 

So, in answer to my original question - yes. If Tuchel pulls off the double of the decade and wins both the FA Cup and Champions League whilst simultaneously getting Chelsea into a top 4 Premier spot, it may just be the greatest managerial takeover in recent football history. 

I know, it's a big statement to make, and there are probably many other managers that statistically have had better starts. However, if you take a step back, you notice that Tuchel has had a significant influence over Chelsea's play and has returned what were "damaged goods" into an again successful football club - capable of not only winning this year's silverware but the futures as well. 










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  1. Josh GodleyMarch 21, 2021 at 5:43 AM

    Too soon to tell! I think the Bayern manager has done the best job as they were failing badly before he joined

    ReplyDelete

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